Waiting For Love
by ErendisJ
Summary: A beautiful, unloved princess. A fairy kingdom. Love and a touch of angst. Simply put, a fairy tale for the dreamer in all of us.
1. Once Upon a Time

Disclaimer: I was read fairy tales when I was little. Do you seriously think I could've invented and published them at that age?

A/N: This is my first shot at a fairy tale fan-fic. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there was a lovely princess named Alexandra- or Alex, as she preferred. "I'd rather be a boy, anyway, they don't have to stand other men staring at them, asking when they'll be eligible for marriage," she'd snap at anyone who dared try and explain that Alex wasn't a ladylike enough name, and would throw the closest thing at hand at the unfortunate soul.

Alex, as you might've noticed, wasn't exactly your standard 'kind and feminine' fairy tale princess. You see, her parents, the king and queen, didn't have much money on account of having to pay for an enormous pet dragon belonging to a neighbouring prince that their eldest son had slayed, so they were only able to invite one fairy to dine with them and bless their child (they hoped, with riches surpassing all others or something useful like that).

Our fairy friend, whose name happened to be Tabina, upon observing the baby for a while, said she'd decided the kid wasn't really in great need of anything else, no matter what the king and queen said, gave the princess 'undamageable beauty' and told the disappointed parents not to worry and enjoy their daughter's childhood. The ambitious king and queen, however, were so thoroughly disgusted with Tabina's useless gift to their child they simply gave her a full-time nanny and determinedly ignored Alex from that day on.

Now, the nanny wasn't really interested in taking care of Alex either, ('swell, she's too much trouble, that 'un') so the little princess got used to doing whatever she wanted to from an early age. Most of all, she liked to tag along with one of her big brothers (only a year older than she) to all of his lessons, and so she learned sword fighting and archery and all that sort of princely stuff. And, since her beauty was undamageable, she never once got hurt while practicing with him.

One day, many years after, rumor came out that a giant snake had kidnapped a handsome young prince (named Arnold) from a neighboring kingdom. Of course, Alex just had to go and fight the snake to prove she was as good or even better that any other knight in her father's service (she'd been trying to join the army for a while now, though she was only fourteen), so she rode away from the palace (on his horse and, being very small-boned, wearing his armor, too) to find the prince and snake.

After a few days of hard riding, she came to a tall tower in the middle of the woods. Wrapped around it was a huge, smelly plant like ivy. Alex climbed up the vines (after plugging her nose with beeswax) to an open window, and lo and behold!, there was the prince Arnold, handsome as could be, taking a bubble bath with someone else whose face she couldn't really see. Alex, of course, was a bit confused with the scene, and crept just a bit closer to try and look at the other person.

Unfortunately for her, the floor was slippery with the other two having just thrown a lot of suds around, and she slipped all the way to the tub and fell in. Luckily, she wasn't hurt, just very embarrassed (undamageable beauty, remember?).

'Please accept by bost sidcere apologies, Pridce, I beadt to rescue you, but dot frob the bathtub, I bean, you were kiddapped by a giadt sdake, and I beadt to-,' she broke off, red-faced, realizing she had forgotten to unplug her nose. Idiot! 'So sorry, your Highness,' she repeated, more clearly now, after having removed the beeswax and introduced herself. 'I heard you'd been kidnapped by a snake so I came to rescue you, and I beg you to forgive the intrusion..."

'I accept your apologies, Princess, but you see, I wasn't kidnapped so I don't need rescuing,' explained Prince Arnold. 'This sweet lady here is the fairy Tabina, with whom I fell in love with and wished to marry,' he went on, pointing at his lovely companion, 'but you are so beautiful I think we'd have nicer babies together. I'm not really sure how time ages fairy people, but she _is _three thousand years old. And you did mean to rescue me, didn't you, so won't you give me your hand in marriage and come live with me to my kingdom so we can be happy ever after? I mean, it's only fair.'

At this point, both Alex and Tabina slapped the arrogant prince across the face as hard as they could, leaving him unconscious. They stared at each other for a moment, surprised by their actions, and laughed.

'Well... he deserved it, didn't he?' Alex smiled at the beautiful fairy as they changed into clean, dry clothes. 'I'm afraid he does. I hadn't realized he was so arrogant and superficial 'till now,' answered Tabina gravely. 'I thought he loved me.' Alex's smile slipped off her face, and was replaced by a frown, in sympathy for the fairy's disappointment. 'Well, I think it's better you found out now, before you married him. It would've been a lot worse, don't you think?' she tried to console Tabina.

'You're right, child. Thank you,' smiled the fairy, as she wiped away a tear. 'But come, let me look at you.' She took Alex's face into her soft, gentle hands. 'You did turn out very pretty, as I thought you would. It was I who gave you fairy powers when you were only a baby, did you know that?' 'No. Besides, I thought it was undamageable beauty that had been given to me,' answered Alex, very much surprised.

'Well, yes, that's what I told your parents. But I foresaw you could be so much more than the good little girl they wanted to exploit, so I put part of my power into you to protect you, and it shows the most in protecting you from being harmed. But you can be more than just a pretty face, child, so long as you put your mind to it. You can do anything you truly wish; you've already proved it by coming. I put spells around this tower, so no one could disturb us, but you made it here without trouble,' said Tabina.

'But all I've ever wanted is to prove myself so my father would appreciate me as he does my brothers, and I've never been able to do it,' said Alex unhappily. 'Then he doesn't deserve you.' The fairy's voice was severe. 'No father should neglect his daughter of his unconditional love, not because it's his duty, but because the ability to love is the most powerful gift we have all been given; fairy, creature and man alike, and should not be wasted or underestimated.'

Alex's face fell, determinedly defending her father in her thoughts even though she knew Tabina was right. In spite of herself, she'd always cared for her family while knowing they didn't give a damn about her. She'd just never wanted to truly realize it.

'I know you're disappointed, dear child, but disappointment is a part of life. You have to learn to go on and live with it. Don't let it defeat you, ever, do you understand me?" said the fairy. Alex nodded, a single, tiny nod that made her silky dark hair fall to hide her face, and the tears that struggled to escape her eyes. Tabina understood this, and wrapped a comforting arm around the girl's shoulders.

'I think the time is come that you receive your gift in full, child," Tabina began, tentatively. 'If you so wish- and I believe you do- you may come to Faery with me, so long as you promise to care, love, and protect it with your life and power as you would your home.' Alex stared at her, amazed. 'Will you accept?'

A/N: Tada! I hope you like my first chapter. On the updating thing, I warn those of you who haven't read me before, I'm incredibly slow (I take like, weeks), so bear me by! All comments and suggestions are highly appreciated- this includes flames, as the room where I keep my computer is c-c-cold!!!


	2. Wishing Escape

_Disclaimer: I did not invent fairy tales. And my new character is based on one of Tolkien's (whom, by the way, also wrote fairy tales- so my story is not off-topic)._

_A/N: 'Thank you very much' for everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter. It sped me up while writing this one._

**Chapter 2**

Alex sat quietly at on of the stained-glass windows of her room, wishing she were out of here, anywhere but her parent's home, where she felt like some poor, caged animal, where she felt like a bird in a gilded cage, and regretted having returned instead of leaving for Faery the day Tabina offered the possibility. It had been three months since then. She felt like crying.

She felt horribly uncomfortable in a beautiful forget-me-not blue silk dress, and she found the boned corset her mother had made her wear underneath it was painful and made it difficult for her to breathe. She'd nearly fainted when it was tightened as much as possible to give an impression of a more perfect hourglass figure.

She didn't care how pretty she looked or whether it was indecent to be without proper underclothing- she'd rather seem a witch or whore and die in public than marry the foreign 'gentleman'- truly a horrid man- that was to come to dine with them later that night to ask for her hand. Her parents were even hosting a grand ball, a gala affair, in honor of the occasion in spite of their low monetary resources.

There seemed to be little, if any, hope for her anymore... If her parent's had their way- and they most probably would- within five days she would be married to a complete stranger, and once he took her to his bed, Tabina's gift would no longer be there to protect her.

Alex felt she understood Clara, a servant girl of twelve or thirteen and newly arrived to the palace, sold by her father to a slave trader, and by the slave trader freed into the king's service... Both their parents were the same, no matter what the difference in their social status, selling their daughters in order to save themselves. And in five days, she would be married and raped by a total stranger the way Clara had been bought and raped by the man who'd brought her to the palace.

'_As if there were any difference, besides a dress and ceremony, between being sold and married_,' she thought angrily.

It was cold and raining outside, as if the weather were reflecting her mood. She hoped he had a carriage accident and good riddance to him... Her anger flared inside her, like a war banner. She would not be like Clara, docile and resigned to her fate. Perhaps she could not evade the indignation, but she could at least have revenge. '_No_', she decided, '_a carriage accident would be too good for him... he deserves to die tortured. Yes, tortured... and I will make sure that he suffers a living hell on this earth before the earth takes him._'

The strong gusts of wind made the branches of the tree outside the window scratch against the brightly colored glass, as if it wanted to get away from the rain... '_Half a moment_,' she thought, '_there are no trees so close to the palace walls- Father had them felled because I climbed down one to get away! So this means..._'

Alex cast a quick look about the room, thinking quickly. There were only three servants there at the moment, which would make things easy enough... so long as they took the bait and left for a good while...

'Clara, come here a moment,' she called the girl. The young maid looked up from the hearth, where she'd been tending to the fire, and quickly went to her princess' side. 'Yes, ma'am?' she asked docilely, her fear and nervousness evident in her shaking voice.

'I find myself hungry early today, Clara. Could you please go to the kitchen and bring me something to eat... and some fresh orange juice, too?' she asked the girl, and knowing full well the cook would be too busy preparing tonight's banquet to pay attention to anyone, added, 'Make sure Cook makes it special, the way I like it, and don't come back without it, understood?'

The scratching against the window became more insistent, as the young maid answered with a soft, complying, 'Yes, ma'am,' and curtsying to her mistress, scurried away to the kitchens, where she waited for at least half an hour before anyone paid her any attention.

Meanwhile, Alex, having another two servants to rid herself of and precious little time before the hairdresser arrived or her mother returned with something else for her to wear, promptly ordered them to fetch clean curtains and threatened to have them beaten when they protested the curtains had been changed only that morning. To make sure they'd take a while, she insisted upon the pale green silk ones with silver embroidery she knew hung in her mother's bedroom.

The moment the two grumbling servants closed the door behind themselves, she jumped up as quickly as she could with the corset still on, locked it, and flung open the window to let in a very wet and upset fairy- Tabina, of course.

'Whatever took you so long?' she demanded immediately, coming in and settling on the couch in front of the fire without so much as a by-your-leave, 'If I'd known you would be so slow in opening up, I wouldn't have conjured up such a storm, and I wouldn't have ruined my clothes. Just look at me, I'm a disaster!'

Alex smiled softly, amused by Tabina's angry scowl. 'I'm really sorry, Tabina, but I had to get rid of the servants first. Besides, I hadn't expected you to come in through the window- however did you manage to get up here anyway? My father had all the house trees felled yesterday.'

The fairy raised her delicately arched eyebrows disdainfully at the princess. 'You disappoint me, Alexandra. I thought you more observant. Go on, child, and take a look- and don't pretend to be hesitating, you and I both know you want to do it.'

Carefully and with some difficulty because of her obtrusive garments, Alex climbed onto the sill and looked down. And there in front of her stood a tree- but wait a moment- trees don't have eyes and bow gracefully to you... and they don't say- 'Good evening, young miss, how are you today?' –anything at all???

'I'm well, thank you very much... And you?' she answered, stammering a bit. Though she was very much surprised at the creature, she did not want to be insulting. Although she was usually very bad mannered, she made an effort to be nice whenever she felt the person was worth it (e.g. Clara), and the creature seemed it.

'Quite fine, quite fine, young ma'am, and enjoying this pleasant rain shower. Please let me introduce myself- I am Kedvan, at your service. And you, no need to say, are the princess Alexandra- my dear friend Tabina has already filled me out on all the details,' the creature said, in a quaint but likeable friendly way.

Alex smiled widely. She felt confused, but delightfully and enjoyably so. Tabina, having warmed herself by now, walked up to her and tapping her foot said irritably, 'Enough chit-chat, Alexandra. I thought you would be ready to leave when we came for you, but instead we find you all made up and ready to have fun at some dinner party. Haven't you packed? Come, where are your things?'

'Are you joking?' asked Alex, 'It's the first thing I did! Oh- and don't call me Alexandra, will you?' She hopped down from her perch, nearly falling because of the dress' full skirt and the matching high heels. She winced. 'Tabina, could you help me take all of these ridiculous things off first? We'll never get anywhere if I wear this- it's too difficult to move around properly with them.'

Luckily, the fairy easily managed to get Alex disentangled from her elegant dress and underthings and into her regular clothing; namely, her brother's clothes- stolen from his clean laundry basket-, soft leather riding boots and a dark hood and cloak to shield her from the cold. As they finished, they heard someone coming up the hall.

At once, Alex took the largest lace-trimmed pillow that lay on her bed and ran to the window. 'All I need is in here,' she explained impatiently to a slightly confused Tabina and Kedvan, 'Now let's go!'

Quickly, Kedvan took Alex and Tabina into his large hands, and they sped away from the palace, guarded from unfriendly eyes by the darkness and the magic rain... Finally, Alex could breathe, she was finally doing what she'd been aching to do all these months- escaping, to live and be _free_.

_A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy the story- I know I enjoyed writing it!_


	3. Secret

**Disclaimer: **Honestly, people... If I'd invented fairy tales do you think I'd be uploading this story on a fan-fiction site? _Hint_: the answer starts with an 'N' and ends with an 'O'.

**A/N: **Thanks again to everyone who reviewed.

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Chapter 3

The last part of the journey to Faery was along a magically concealed path through a great forest, up close to the Isyllian Mountains. For the most, Kedvan carried them, but every now and then one of them- usually Tabina, whose stomach often protested against his rocking gait- would insist he let them walk a bit to stretch their legs.

Alex delighted in the trek through the woodland, being fond of trees, and she marveled at how Tabina had taken to her, when they were complete opposites in nearly every sense imaginable, with the exception of their love of nature.

Along the way, Tabina chatted cheerfully, and the other two listened. Occasionally, Kedvan would step in and comment, but Alex said not a word throughout the whole journey. At most, when questioned she would nod or shake her head softly and smile. Although relieved and thankful, she was nervous. It all seemed too good to be true.

What if it all turned out to have been a dream and, morning come, she found herself back in the palace, waiting to be wed? Or worse, what if it were not a dream? In her experience, happiness could come only when you suffered, and then, to remain happy you had to keep suffering. It was all too perfect, too easy, but she did not want to live afraid. She wanted to prove she was good enough for it.

After nearly a fortnight of walking, the three finally arrived upon the borders of Faery. Alex would never forget her first sight of the enchanted hidden land, its beauty surpassing all others nearly to the point of being unbearable. Every part of it seemed to gleam and beckon with a gentle shimmering, each blessed inch perfect and made to be loveable.

She raised her arms and her face to the brightly shining sun and sky and laughed, and her laugh was the most pure sound of complete merriment. Her birthplace was far from this land, and yet, she only felt as she had returned after a long, hard journey, and she finally understood the passion that flamed Tabina's clear eyes each time she spoke of her country.

A gentle, clear-scented breeze wrapped about her. Alex smiled, and, close to tears, understood she had finally come home.

* * *

The days passed uncounted, and with each new morning, Alex felt she loved Faery more and more. Even her constant debates (cough, arguments, cough) with Tabina were something she looked forward to, and she surprised them both by admitting so one day. In spite of their frequent disagreements, the two lived in extraordinary peace.

Tabina's home consisted of a series of woven platforms in the branches of a tall whitewood (incrusted with precious stones) set at the center of the widest edge of a large oval clearing. At night, the two friends would spend long hours observing the heavens before letting Sleep wrap them in its gentle arms. Tabina delighted at all times in observing the night sky but loved best the strange, pale stars of Faery, while it was the silver ever-changing moon drew Alex's attention and reverence.

Every time the bright white-blue Fay star shone over them, Tabina would let Alex put to test the abilities bestowed her, which she was now beginning to fully understand and learn to use. Each new achievement, however small, made the fairy's heart swell with pride that showed in her eyes, though she rarely commented upon it.

One autumn night, while Tabina slept, Alex felt a sudden reckless urge to leave the safety of the high platforms, and silently lowered herself to the ground. Once there, she walked over to the smaller edge of the clearing, her bare feet not making the slightest sound on the soft floor.

All was quiet. It was a cool night, and the sky was more than partly cloudy. The only cloud-free space in the firmament was a small area around the moon. Its light shone about her, like a limelight. A strange feeling overcame her, as if a queer force told her what to do, and she acted accordingly. Slowly, she raised her slender arms and turned to face the shining moon.

Humming, she began to dance, her arms and thighs undulating, her movements soft and exotic. Never once did her eyes leave the brilliant orb. She took a step forward, and with the tip of her other foot slowly traced a line from her ankle to the back of her knee as her head fell back gently. As she did this, the moonbeam she stood in seemed to intensify, and her body slowly, magically, rose into the air.

A soft breeze began to blow, bringing along a rumor of strange, soft music. She smiled, and her gentle movements seemed to intensify with the magic of the sound. She was now about at half of the tree's height in the air, and still rising. The music became wilder, more demanding. She complied, and her movements became just as wild and lively as the beckoning rhythm.

She twirled in the air, her dark hair whipping her face. Her dancing form rose faster, coming to a stop a dozen feet or so above the tallest trees. Suddenly, the music changed again, this time turning softer, slower and gently fading. She slowly turned three times to the left, her toes curling, and stopped dancing, lowering her arms to cross them over her chest. To one side, were the mountains, and to the other, the Sea.

A mysterious smile formed on her pale, moonlit face. She looked curiously strange and beautiful quietly hovering there barefoot in a simple nightdress, her dark hair wavy and windswept, her face glowing strangely... Once again, she raised her arms towards the moon, and then lowered them. Slowly, she descended back unto the ground, where she bowed respectfully before turning back to the fairy's tree home.

The following morning, she was unusually quiet, saying nothing to Tabina about her nighttime dancing. She felt exhilarated, but determined to keep it a secret. Somehow, she sensed that the strange magic she had experienced the night before was not something to be shared; rather, it should be carefully kept and guarded.

Little did she know what that secret could bring.

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A/N: Ahhh, cliffy!!! What does Alex dancing have to do with anything? Lots! You guys just wait and see. ;-) 3**


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